ADPD-The Green Party jinnota l-proposta l-ġdida tal-gvern dwar it-trasport, li tinkludi l-iżvilupp ta’ linja waħda tal-ferrovija li tgħaqqad in-naħa ta’ fuq ta’ Malta mal-ajruport fuq perjodu stmat ta’ 15-il sena, bi spiża approssimattiva ta’ kważi 3 biljun ewro. Waqt konferenza stampa fl-istazzjon ta’ Birkirkara l-kelliema tal-partit qalu li donnu kull ministru kull tant żmien joħroġ b’xi proposta ġdida, speċjalment kif toqrob elezzjoni.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Sandra Gauci li din l-aħħar proposta tal-anqas tirrikonoxxi li m’hemmx soluzzjoni waħda għat-trasport, iżda taħlita ta’ mezzi differenti, kif ukoll soluzzjonijiet strutturali fit-tul. Xi ħaġa li l-partit ilu jisħaq fuqha. ADPD-The Green Party iżda jitlob ħafna aktar ċarezza u trasparenza dwar aspetti ewlenin tal-proġett propost tal-ferrovija. Il-għaġla biex jibdew studji ta’ “rock coring” fi ftit jiem turi li l-avveniment tal-Ħamis kien aktar intiż bħala propaganda elettorali.

“Min jgħid li se jagħmel xi proġett wieħed u jsolvi kollox, min jgħid li huwa possibbli li kollox jibqa’ kif inhu fit-toroq iddominati mill-karozzi ikun qed iqarraq bin-nies. Politiċi serji jispjegaw li soluzzjonijiet fit-tul jieħdu ż-żmien, u li jeħtieġ li l-ispazju fit-toroq jiġi ri-assenjat biex jagħti vantaġġ lill-mezzi alternattivi ta’ trasport minflok il-vetturi.”

Sandra Gauci żiedet li “Il-pubbliku għandu d-dritt għal informazzjoni dettaljata dwar ir-rotta proposta tal-light-rail, in-numru ta’ passiġġieri li jagħmel il-proġett vijabbli, kif l-gvern bi ħsiebu jiggarantixxi li s-servizz jintuża minflok il-karozza privata, l-impatti varji u kif dawn se jiġu mitigati, il-mudell ta’ finanzjament, u kif dan il-proġett se jiġi integrat mas-sistemi oħra ta’ trasport. F’dan l-istadju peress li ma ġew ippubblikati l-ebda dokumenti dettaljati, il-proposta tqajjem aktar mistoqsijiet milli twieġeb. Proġett ta’ din il-kobor ma jistax jimxi ‘l quddiem biss fuq kunċetti ġenerali lejlet elezzjoni.”

Id-Deputat Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Carmel Cacopardo qal:”Il-gvern ikkonferma kemm għandna raġun għax il-ministru għat-trasport ikkonferma li s-sistema tal-karozzi tal-linja se tibqa’ s-sinsla tan-netwerk tat-trasport pubbliku ta’ Malta. Din l-ammissjoni li x’aktarx saħqu fuqha l-konsulenti tal-gvern, issaħħaħ il-pożizzjoni tal-proposta li aħna bħala partit ilna żmien twil nisħqu fuqha: li l-investiment għandu jiffoka fuq sistema moderna u effiċjenti ta’ Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), mibnija fuq korsiji dedikati għall-karozzi tal-linja biss, servizzi frekwenti, u ħinijiet ta’ vjaġġ affidabbli. Dan juri kemm kienu redikoli l-proposti preċedenti ta’ metro li jgħaqqad kull rokna ta’ Malta u Għawdex. Proposti intiżi biex ibellgħuha lin-nies li kollox kien se jkun ‘business as usual’ fit-toroq, u min irid juża l-metro taħt l-art. Dan kien ifisser falliment ieħor għax kien iħalli t-traffiku jimġemgħa fit-toroq filwaqt li biljuni ta’ Euro kienu jintremew f’proġett li jisġiċċa ma jintużax biżżejjed.”

“L-esperjenza internazzjonali turi b’mod ċar li s-sistemi BRT jistgħu jipprovdu soluzzjonijiet ta’ mobilità li ġġorr numru kbir ta’ passiġġieri, hija cost-effective u flessibbli, speċjalment f’ambjenti urbani. La l-karozzi tal-linja se jibqgħu s-sinsla tas-sistema, allura r-riżorsi għandhom l-ewwel jiġu diretti biex din is-sinsla ssir tassew effiċjenti u attraenti. Dan ifisser li jiġi ri-allokkat l-ispazju tat-toroq, tiġi infurzata l-prijorità għall-karozzi tal-linja, u jiġu integrati mezzi differenti tat-trasport oħra inkuż roti, roti elettriċi, scooters elettriċi f’netwerk effiċjenti bla xkiel mill-konġestjoni maħluqa mill-karozzi.”

“Is-suċċess jew il-falliment tal-ferrovija proposta jiddependi ħafna minn deċiżjonijiet usa’ tal-politika tat-trasport, partikolarment dwar l-użu tal-karozzi privati. Jekk il-parkeġġ fit-toroq jibqa’ faċilment disponibbli tul ir-rotta u fid-destinazzjonijiet tal-ferrovija, l-inċentiv biex wieħed jħalli l-karozza privata u juża’ l-ferrovija se jisparixxi. Din hija l-verità ċara li l-Partit Laburista qed jirrifjuta li jirrikonoxxi billi kontinwament jevita li jitkellem dwarha. Studji minn madwar id-dinja juru b’mod konsistenti li sistemi ta’ trasport tal-massa jirnexxu biss meta jkunu akkumpanjati minn miżuri b’saħħithom biex titnaqqas id-dipendenza fuq il-karozzi. Jekk il-gvern jibqa’ jipprijoritizza l-aċċess u l-parkeġġ tal-karozzi, din il-ferrovija tirriskja li ssir ‘white elephant’ għalja ħafna minflok soluzzjoni trasformattiva. Billi jiżdied mezz ieħor ta’ trasport mingħajr ma jinbidel xejn aktar, il-problema tal-mobilità mhux se tissolva b’mod maġiku.”

“Nerġgħu ntennu li l-gvern għandu jippubblika l-istudji kollha relatati mal-proposta tal-ferrovija, il-pedestrijanizazzjoni, korsiji ta’ prijorità għall-karozzi tal-linja, u rotot u faċilitajiet sikuri għar-roti, il-pedelecs u l-iscooters elettriċi.”

***

Those who insist that the dominance of the car in our roads can remain are taking the public for a ride

ADPD-The Green Party notes the government’s newly unveiled transport vision, which includes the development of a single rail line connecting the north of Malta to the airport over a projected 15-year period, at an estimated cost of nearly 3 billion Euros. During a press conference near the Birkirkara station, speakers for the party said that ministers tend to come up with a new proposal when there is an election on the horizon.

ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci, said that this latest proposal acknowledges that there is no one single solution to the transport problem, but a mixture of different modes of transport, as well as long-term structural solutions.  The party has been insisting on this for a very long time, and with this announcement, ADPD-The Green Party is calling for much greater clarity and transparency on key aspects of the proposed railway project. The rush to start rock ‘coring’ studies in a few days reveals that yesterday’s press event was just electioneering.

Whoever implies that a single project will solve all transport problems, whilst our roads are dominated by private cars, is taking the country for a ride.  Serious politicians know that such solutions will take time, and that such solutions will involve the reassignment of space for alternative modes of transport instead of private vehicles.”

Gauci also added that “the public has the right to detailed information on the route alignment, expected passenger capacity, impacts and how these will be mitigated, the financing model, and how this project will integrate with existing transport systems. At this stage, with no detailed documentation published, the proposal raises more questions than it answers. A project of this scale cannot proceed on broad concepts alone on the eve of an election.”

ADPD-The Green Party Deputy Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo, said “The government itself has confirmed that the bus system will remain the backbone of Malta’s public transport network. This admission reinforces ADPD-The Green Party’s long-standing position: that investment should prioritise a modern, efficient Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system built around dedicated bus lanes, high-frequency services, and reliable journey times. It shows how ridiculous previous metro proposals connecting all corners of Malta and Gozo were, proposals designed to hoodwink people that our streets will be “business as usual”, and an underground metro. This would have meant another failure, as these would have allowed traffic to increase on our roads, whilst billions of euros would have been thrown into a project that would not have been feasible.”

“International experience clearly shows that BRT systems can deliver high-capacity, cost-effective, and flexible mobility solutions, particularly in dense urban environments. They can be implemented faster and at a fraction of the cost of rail-based systems, while still offering metro-like performance when properly designed.  If buses are to remain the backbone of the system, then resources should be directed towards making that backbone truly efficient and attractive. This means reallocating road space, enforcing bus priority, and integrating different transport modes into a seamless network, including bicycles, e-bikes, and electric scooters.

“The success or failure of the proposed railway will depend heavily on wider transport policy decisions, particularly regarding private car use. If on-street parking continues to be readily available along the railway corridor and at key destinations, the incentive to shift from private cars to rail will be severely undermined. This is the stark truth that Labour refuses to acknowledge.  Studies from around the world consistently show that mass transit systems only succeed when accompanied by strong measures to discourage car dependency. If the government continues to prioritise car access and parking, this railway risks becoming a very expensive white elephant rather than a transformative solution. Simply adding another mode of transport without changing anything else will magically solve the mobility issue.”

“As a party, ADPD-The Green Party reiterates that Malta needs a coherent, integrated mobility strategy that delivers results in the short, medium, and long term. While long-term infrastructure may have a role, immediate action is required to improve public transport efficiency today. That means reassigning priority and space on roads to public transport,” concluded Cacopardo.